More Hollywood Nonsense

I'm sure some of you may remember that a few months back, Bella Thorne's phone was hacked. After receiving threats from the hackers saying they were going to post her topless photos, she decided to post them herself in order to "take her power back." This topic came up on The View, and Whoopi Goldberg stated that, regardless of age, celebrities should not be taking nude photos on their phones. Whoopi explained that, when you take a photo on your phone, the image goes up into the cloud and is "there for any hacker that wants it." To be honest, this was probably the one an only time I have ever agreed with anyone on The View about anything.
Following Whoopi Goldberg's comments, Bella posted a tearful video calling Whoopi out for her public opinion, saying, "shame on you, Whoopi." Thorne accused Whoopi of victim blaming and "making every young girl think that they're disgusting for even taking a photo like that."
Now, Bella is making her directorial debut...on a porn site. Wait, what?
Ok, I definitely understand being upset about being hacked and threatened. However, how do you go from being upset about your intimate photos being seen and released to directing a pornographic movie? It doesn't make sense.
You can't be upset about someone taking advantage of you, and then go and participate in an industry that profits off taking advantage of others. 
I'm sorry Bella, life just doesn't work that way. You're a great actress, but if you want to be taken seriously, please re-evaluate your decisions.

To My Ex Best Friend

Hey there,

You probably don't remember me. At least, it sure feels like you don't.

Let me remind you who I am. I was your best friend. And you were mine. We cheered each other on and were there for each other when it felt like the world was against us. Even when we both went away for college, we talked all the time and made sure to hang out when we were home. We saw every Hunger Games movie together. Heck, we even went to prom together.

I guess none of that matters anymore. 

Shortly before this past Christmas, I texted you to check in and maybe try to make a plan to hang out when/if you came home for the holidays. When I asked about you coming home, you said you had moved to another state and didn't know when you would be in town again. 

I was surprised to learn you had moved. What surprised me more was your response when I asked why you never told me.

"You never asked."

That was your answer. Really? Why on Earth would I have ever asked you if you were moving? Who asks that kind of question?

We haven't spoken since that conversation. I'd reach out, but what's the point? You didn't care enough to tell me you were moving, so why would you care how hurt I was? What makes it more obvious that you don't care is the fact that you haven't noticed that I haven't spoken to you since that conversation. I'm kind of tired of our friendship feeling one-sided, so if you want to talk, I'm here. Until then, I wish you the best.
Love,
Your Former Best Friend

To My First College Friend

Dear friend,
You were my very first friend in college. We met through our class Facebook page the summer before freshman year. We exchanged numbers in order to avoid any loneliness in the cafeteria when we got to campus. I bet you don't remember any of that.
When we started becoming close friends that summer before school, I made it known to you that I was kind of scared after a rough experience with a previous guy friend. You promised me you wouldn't do what he did to me. I can tell you don't remember that.

Had you remembered that promise, I wouldn't be writing this.

The first day of orientation, you greeted me with a big hug. You were always there. You were always good about offering hugs and prayers when I needed it.
Junior year, a lot of crazy stuff happened in my personal life. When I finally opened up and told you what was going on, you asked if I was ok. I appreciated that more than you know. You were the first one to ask.
Sometime during senior year, I stopped existing to you. Texts went unanswered. We barely spoke in person. You deleted me from all of your social media. No explanation. No goodbye. Exactly what you said you wouldn't do.
Was it your girlfriend? Did you think I wanted more than a friendship with you? That seems to be a common problem with my guy friends. If that was the case, why didn't you talk to me about it?
A few weeks ago, you got married. Congratulations! I wish I could've been there, just like I wish you'd be there whenever that happens for me.
I do wish you and your new wife all the best. I am genuinely happy for you guys and think you make a great couple.
I just miss you.
Love,
Your former friend.

Stop Donation Shaming

As I'm sure you all know, on Monday, April 15th, there was a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. This building is significant to a lot of people for a variety of reasons. It's a historical landmark, it holds religious significance, it's a beautiful structure, and, of course, there are probably a handful of people who mostly care about it because of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Whatever the reason, a lot of people care a great deal for this cathedral and want to help with the repairs by donating money. That should be a good thing right? Well, to some, donating to Notre Dame repairs isn't a worthy cause.
Over the last few days, I have seen the following screenshot of a tweet from user @Kristan_Higgins shared across social media numerous times.

There are a couple of things wrong with this statement. First of all, a quick Google search will tell you that Notre Dame is not owned by the Catholic Church, it is government owned, the Catholic Church just uses the building. A lot of people seem to be missing that little detail.
The most important point I want to make here is stop shaming people for how they use their own money. It's their money and they are free to spend/donate it however they please. You are also free to spend/donate your own money however you please, so if you want to donate to one of the cause Ms. Higgins mentioned, by all means, do it. Just don't shame other people for giving to something different. Giving money to anything that doesn't benefit you, but could benefit someone/something else, is a worthy cause.

Pro Choice = Pro Hypocrisy

I have seen and heard some things that have been really frustrating to me in regards to abortion, and I feel like this needs to be discussed.
First of all, one thing I have noticed a lot over the years is that whenever legislation is introduced that would hold abortion clinics to higher standards in regards to safety and sanitation, pro-choice advocates fight it. Many of their arguments against these bills are about how abortion is already safe and bills like this are just the republican party's way of trying to restrict abortion access and get clinics shut down. These arguments raise a few questions, at least for me.
1. If abortion is already so safe, why are you fighting against these higher standards? I mean, it's already such a safe procedure, and clinics are so clean and safe, so they should have nothing to hide right? If they're going to pass their inspections anyway, why does this matter to you?
2. Along those same lines, if abortion is so safe, how would these standards get clinics shut down and restrict access?
Speaking of bills pro-choice advocates fight against, a bill was introduced here in North Carolina called the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would essentially ensure that, if a baby survives an abortion attempt and is born alive, he/she is given proper care so they have a chance at life. This bill passed the state senate and house of representatives, but was vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper. Cooper defended his veto by stating, “Laws already protect newborn babies and this bill is an unnecessary interference between doctors and their patients. This needless legislation would criminalize doctors and other healthcare providers for a practice that simply does not exist (source)." 
My question to Gov. Cooper is, how exactly is this bill an interference between doctors and patients? It's not about the woman choosing to have the procedure or the doctor performing it, it's simply about saving the life of the child when the abortion methods fail.
On a related note, Students for Life of America recently shared a video on the Facebook page of Kristan Hawkins, the organization's president, speaking with a student at Boston College during a recent visit to the college's campus. Hawkins asks the student if she thinks children/babies apprehended at the border who are in poor health should be given care, and the student says yes. When asked if babies born alive after a failed abortion should be given care, the student answers no. The student is asked to explain why she feels that way and she states that it's not a baby, despite Hawkins having already explained that science says it's a baby. Hawkins said in an interview with Fox News regarding that interaction, that she could tell from the facial expressions of students who came to protest her event, that even they were shocked at the hypocrisy the student had just displayed.
A little advice to any pro-choice advocates out there, if you want to be taken seriously, make sure your arguments actually make sense.